Do you think the death penalty is unethical?

El Guapo

Yes, but my main reasons for being against it are more practical:

- Mistakes happen. In the last 35 years in the U.S., 130 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence (DNA is not available in most homicide cases).

- It costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute someone than to imprison them for life.

- It is not a deterrent - violent crime rates are HIGHER in death penalty jurisdictions.

- It is inconsistently and arbitrarily applied.

- Life without parole (LWOP) is on the books in most states now, and it means what it says. People who get this sentence are taken off the streets. For good.

- For moral/ethical arguments, Christians need look no further than the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament:
- Matthew 5:7
- Matthew 5:38-39
- James 4:12
- Luke 6:36-37
- Romans 12:17-21
- John 8:7

Libertarian and proud of it

I'm against it. The death penalty costs more than life in prison. This is because of how many appeals a person on death row will get. After all, you better be sure that the person on death row is really guilty.
There's also the chance of killing an innocent person. With our judicial system, I can imagine that happening.
Then there's the fact that life in prison is a lot worse than the death penalty. When you get the death penalty, it's basically over. Your suffering has ended. But with life in prison, you are raped and beaten every day. That's a lot worse than being put down.

Jesus has my soul

that depends people that don't believe in Jesus don't care and are usually for the Death Penalty, people like me are for Life in Prison, but who am I to ask for death for another person, I leave judgment up to God.

Alex R

In many ways I guess I agree with capitol punishment, but over all I'd disagree. I feel like some people who have killed many times are better off rotting in prison because death would be too easy, but I also kind of think that if we kill someone for killing someone we are really doing the same thing they did, just for different motives. Who put us in charge on who gets to live or not I guess. But if someone killed a loved one or a friend of mine, it would be hard NOT to let them be killed, but I would kind of expect my government to be more rational and less driven by emotions.

Flying Car

I think that if the person can be found 100% guilty then the death penalty is ok. But if there is even a tiny doubt then no death penalty for them.

joe7987

I've always been on the fence about this one....

If your judicial system never made any mistakes, I would be 100% for the "eye for an eye" punishment system. People who kill, deserve death. People who rob, deserve to be poor, etc..

My conflict comes in the fact that our judicial system does not have a 100% success rate. Innocent people DO go to jail. For an innocent person to be sentenced to death..... that is a horrible thought to me.

Could you imagine if tomorrow you got arrested, were told you raped a child and then murdered her and that you were going to be killed?

The fact that things like that DO happen occasionally is depressing and scary at the same time.

â™¥Samâ™¥

i am for it, but i think life in jail would be WAY worse than being killed. think about being locked up in a cell for the rest of your life... nasty food, being bored, no family or friends, etc. people go crazy in jail

Common

No, I don't think the death penalty is unethical.

I believe that some people are only "people" in the loosest sense of the word, and are inherently and unchangeably evil. At that point, there is no benefit to society in keeping them alive, only the danger that they might escape and continue to harm others.

Granted, those are extreme cases that are few and far between. But they are enough to justify the death penalty in my eyes. Does anyone truly believe a thing like Charles Manson can ever peaceably regain a place in society?

Leah

Well it depends. Like serial killers... well I think they should be tortured, then killed... And I'm talkin limb by limb removal... Because those guys are proud of what they have done...and they think they are so smart...so them dying with the public watching means nothing to them. So rough 'em up a little.

Child molestors and rapists... OMG... they should get death penalty, too. (And no, I don't mean the teenage situation... as in a dude and girl are dating.. he's 17 and she's 16...well he has a birthday and her parents don't like him.... Well, he is now a pediophile... No, that doesn't count).

And the first comment about not believing in God has nothing to do with it. I believe in God. But I also believe if a person's life is so full of sin that they will do nothing but bring evil into this world, then sure... They need to go... Then they will get their judgement at the gate and I'm pretty sure they will be right down at the lake.

I think the world today has gone to crap. I'm a full believer in them bringing back public executions. Nobody gives a crap about the consequences anymore. "Well...they collected the evidence wrong... so I was found innocent..." ... What bull crap. If people know what will happen to them if they do something.... I think crap will calm down.

Or maybe if they allowed them teaching ethics and morales in school again and not be worried about "offending" someone...

Wow... I just realized I got kind of heated and upset over this question... hahah...

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